For 1972, both 1800 body styles shared the B20 engine, a 2.0-liter (121-cu.in.) derivative of the famously durable B18. This B20 F indicated its Bosch electronic fuel injection, which helped the engine make 125 hp at 6,000 rpm and 123-lb.ft. of torque at 3,500 rpm. This engine sent drive to the rear wheels through either a four-speed manual with electric overdrive, or a three-speed automatic, and braking was by power-assisted four-wheel discs.

Back to the bodies: Famous for the frameless glass tailgate that would inspire future Volvo stylists penning the 1980s 480 and 2000s C30, the unusual “shooting brake” ES would offer notably more cargo-carrying practicality –plenty of room for golf bags!– than its traditional trunked sibling, although both offered folding rear seatbacks.

Distinctive looks and added practicality couldn’t save the ES from ever-stricter American safety regulations, though, and rather than trying to meet 1974’s impending 5-mph bumper laws, this model was cancelled after 1973, with fewer than 8,100 ESs built.

That show car’s rakish roofline and steeply angled rear hatch would be borrowed by the flagship V90 station wagon, the latter seeming out of character in comparison to the nearly-vertical tails of traditionally styled Volvo wagons… Unless the one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others ES is included in that lineup, as Volvo did in the press photo below.